judicial discipline
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Northeast Colorado judge resigns, admits to misconduct
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A judge from northeastern Colorado resigned at the end of Wednesday, and, in doing so, admitted to allegations that he used his position to aid a friend in her court case and did not disclose his personal connection in other cases involving that friend. District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein presided in the 13th Judicial…
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Colorado judicial disciplinary officials describe what changed, remained constant with 2024 amendment
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Top state officials for attorney and judicial discipline spoke on Wednesday about the ways in which a 2024 constitutional amendment changed the process for disciplining state judges, the factors that stayed constant and the question marks that remain around specific rules. In November, voters overwhelmingly enacted Amendment H, which lawmakers referred to the ballot after a…
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Critics decry ‘black hole’ of oversight for code violations by appointed judges
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Colorado’s method of investigating and disciplining judges for alleged violations of its code of conduct doesn’t apply to retired jurists specially appointed to handle individual cases. Similarly, the state’s investigative arm that looks into allegations of attorney misconduct also has no jurisdiction over issues involving private judges, as they are known, outside of the same…
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Northeast Colorado judge inappropriately aided friend in multiple cases, discipline officials say
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A judge from northeastern Colorado used his position to aid a friend across multiple cases, and ordered the pretrial release of her boyfriend who was accused of felonies, disciplinary officials alleged in a filing on Tuesday. District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein, who presides in the 13th Judicial District of Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma…
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Northeast Colorado judge intends to resign to resolve misconduct complaint, parties reveal in unique hearing
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A trial judge in northeastern Colorado intends to resign his seat if a disciplinary panel accepts the agreed-upon narrative of the misconduct allegations against him, the parties said during a first-of-its-kind proceeding on Friday. The state Supreme Court suspended District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein in November due to an ongoing investigation by the Colorado…
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Colorado panel to hold likely first-ever livestream of judicial discipline proceeding
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A three-member panel assigned to adjudicate the misconduct allegations against a northeastern Colorado judge will livestream a status conference on Friday, for apparently the first time in the state’s history. On Nov. 25, the Colorado Supreme Court suspended District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein, who presides in the 13th Judicial District of Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips,…
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Colorado’s judicial discipline panel works on emergency rules in wake of voter-approved amendment
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The body charged with crafting new protocols for judicial discipline in Colorado discussed at length the need for emergency rules last week, following through on a constitutional amendment voters enacted in November to revamp the process of disciplining state judges. Kristen L. Mix, the chair of the Judicial Discipline Rule-Making Committee, said the bulk of the…
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Colorado Senate committee advances bill to create 29 judgeships, with lawmaker support delicate
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The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to establish 29 new Colorado judgeships by a vote of 6-1 on Wednesday, with supporters and opponents both cautioning that their positions could change based on the availability of money. The committee heard testimony from numerous witnesses in support of the bill, including from sitting judges. Chief Justice…
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Judicial branch tells oversight committees that cost of new judgeships has decreased
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Judicial branch leaders told lawmakers on Monday that their priority for the legislative session — the establishment of 29 new judgeships across Colorado — has come down in cost amid broad concerns about the state’s budget deficit. Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez and State Court Administrator Steven Vasconcellos previously informed the Joint Budget Committee that the cost of…
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State Supreme Court suspends northeastern Colorado judge amid investigation
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The Colorado Supreme Court suspended a trial judge late last year, while ordering the state’s judicial discipline commission to keep it informed of the developments in the judge’s investigation. District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein presides in the 13th Judicial District, consisting of Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma and Kit Carson counties. The Supreme…